Whitechapel - 2009 Music Retrospective2015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/
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2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205037#Comment_2050372009-11-23T22:05:45-06:002009-11-29T21:52:25-06:00ebullientsoulhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7705
Further edits are explanations of why I enjoyed these records. Since this has been stickied, I figure the proverbial game ought to be stepped up.
What were your best records of 09? What were your ...
Further edits are explanations of why I enjoyed these records. Since this has been stickied, I figure the proverbial game ought to be stepped up.

What were your best records of 09? What were your favorites? What did you listen to endlessly?

To start things off, I enjoyed these, among others.

P.O.S.-Never BetterUnlike some of the other "alternative" hip-hop I've heard, this record feels dense, aggressive and claustrophobic, realizing the promise of "punk" used as a suffix.

Owl City-Ocean EyesI liked Give Up and thus, I like its imitators. Have you heard those choruses, man? This is music that is easy to zone out to on the bus and not feel like you've wasted a minute in transit. It's Never Better's opposite number, in that respect. It's as dense as an air balloon and just as weighty.

Bomb the Music Industry-ScramblesSloppy, DIY ska music with a truly fraternal emphasis makes this free to download disc a no brainer.

Vienna Teng-Inland TerritoryI don't normally go for "adult contemporary", but there's something universal about Vienna Teng's records that slips under the armor. Final track St. Stephen's Cross just kills me every time I hear it. The burst at the end sounds like an epiphany.

Shook Ones-the Unquoteable AMHLifetime didn't put out a record in 2009, but that's okay. Shook Ones did, and what's important is that there's another melodic hardcore band fronted by a guy who can't enunciate to save his life singing about Girls and Other Things. I feel rejuvenated after listening to the record, which is exactly how I felt after listening to Jersey's Best Dancers years ago.

Defeater-Lost GroundA 6 song EP about a black soldier in World War 2 coming back and realizing his country still hates him. It seethes like a person kept mute via a bloodsoaked rag in their mouth.

Strike Anywhere-Iron FrontA prescient, joyous record from Strike Anywhere ought to come as no surprise. The big surprise is just how towering and colossal that final track, Postcards From Home is.

Lewd Acts-Black Eye BluesA band that has had their fill of the unexamined life and are draining out the pus left from the wound it left. The recording tone of this album is like someone is dumping an entire swamp on top of your head. Hell yeah.

and the Envy/Jesu split, or at least the Envy side of it.Envy has never sounded prettier than here (seriously, they turned that shit up to 11 on this one), but this is here for the song "Life Caught In the Rain," proof, as if we needed more, that Envy ought to be considered a Japanese national treasure.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205046#Comment_2050462009-11-24T00:04:22-06:002009-11-24T01:31:39-06:00keyofsilencehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7294
http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7256&page=1
EDIT: (not trying to be a dick but this topic is being covered in t'other thread)
EDIT: (not trying to be a dick but this topic is being covered in t'other thread)]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205692#Comment_2056922009-11-27T10:44:42-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00jeremiahhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5157
the other thread seems like it is devoted the the last decade not this last year, there would be some slight crossover as last year was in the last decade but it think an 09 thread is valid. i would ...
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205706#Comment_2057062009-11-27T12:05:55-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00vandalhandlehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4586
been a pretty dull year, but from it i enjoyed:
Angelspit: Hideous and Perfect
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions: Through the Devil Softly
Howling Bells: Radio Wars
Kanute: Standing Room ...
Angelspit: Hideous and PerfectHope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions: Through the Devil SoftlyHowling Bells: Radio WarsKanute: Standing Room OnlyThe Dead Weather: Horehound]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205715#Comment_2057152009-11-27T13:18:58-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00James Pucketthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2911
I hate to admit this, but I’ve caved in to Lady Gaga and am quite enjoying The Fame Monster.
The Fame Monster.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205718#Comment_2057182009-11-27T13:39:32-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Boga_http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6871
Shameless plugging
Shameless plugging]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205721#Comment_2057212009-11-27T13:48:07-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00JeffZerohttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5180
I don't think I was crazy about much this year...
Although about a third of NOFX's 'Coaster' was throwaway material, I'd say that the good songs are some of the strongest they've ever put ...
Although about a third of NOFX's 'Coaster' was throwaway material, I'd say that the good songs are some of the strongest they've ever put out.

P.O.S.'s 'Never Better'... I can't sing the praises of this enough. I was glad to see some good hip-hop this year, after how much Method Man & Redman let me down.

The Ergs! released to seperate (but similar) split seven inches with The Measure [SA], including a thrash reworking of one of their old songs. And The Ergs! can do no wrong, in this man's humble opinion.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205733#Comment_2057332009-11-27T15:08:12-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Kernowdrunkhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1769
Alasdair Roberts Spoils spectral and intense literate folk with twisted psych tendencies and my album of the year.Magic.
Spoils spectral and intense literate folk with twisted psych tendencies and my album of the year.Magic.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205743#Comment_2057432009-11-27T16:12:21-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00icelandbobhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5250
ok i´m thinking about my year of records. Some were good, some were VERY good and some.... well at least i could delete it from my Pc. Well here goes...
Best Icelandic Album of the year: Mixed ...
Best Icelandic Album of the year: Mixed Bag here. Lot more misses than hits. Múm´s release was so-so. Gus Gus was Boring and Jónsi & Alex was excruitatingly po-faced. But there were some great ones. Stórsveit Nix Noltes royal Family divorce was a great blend of Psych Rock & balkan beats. Plastic Gods "Quadriplegiac" was full on doom/drone metal come to iceland. But the winner was Ben Frost´s "By the throat". the sound of society collapsing. Wonderful...

Indie twaddle that´s actually pretty good: Art Brut "Art Brut Vs Satan"]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=205744#Comment_2057442009-11-27T16:25:42-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00chris ghttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1829
This was a good year. I dug the hell out of:
Them Crooked Vultures - self title - Currently addicted to this
Dead Weather - "Horehound" - Very damn fresh rock
Dethklok - Dethalbum II - ...
Them Crooked Vultures - self title - Currently addicted to thisDead Weather - "Horehound" - Very damn fresh rockDethklok - Dethalbum II - Moar brutal than Dethalbum I!Mastodon - Crack the Skye - this one ate up all of May-JulyClutch - Strange Cousins From the West - They just get better with every release.

Honorable mention: Nine Inch Nails - Downward Spiral Live from Webster Hall - They've never performed the entire album before. But you can really feel it's intensity being reborn/renewed whatever. There's a few audible assholes ruining a few songs, but it's still awesome.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206093#Comment_2060932009-11-29T13:33:22-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00warrenellishttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2
From warrenellis.com, my first two lists for the year:
THE SPOILS, Zola Jesus: of which I’ve made much mention lately. Nika’s a beautiful ghost moaning from the shadows of a bombed-out ...
THE SPOILS, Zola Jesus: of which I’ve made much mention lately. Nika’s a beautiful ghost moaning from the shadows of a bombed-out cathedral, on this record. Possibly an aspect of my continuing fascination with The Haunted in early 21st Century music. But I’m returning to this record a lot.

GABON and INCAPULCO and a bunch of other releases, High Wolf: top of the whole glo-fi thing, for me, has been High Wolf and his wet lo-fi tropical dreamstates. GABON in particular was a glorious thing. Hypnogogic reverie when you’ve still got the drugged beat of a rainforest drone-rave beating in your ears.

MAN OF ARAN, British Sea Power: always a band I’ve almost-liked rather than love, but "The SOuth Sound" off this soundtrack they prepared for the re-release of the eponymous film is the best piece of classical building/soaring postrock I’ve heard since "Raise Yr Skinny Fists." I mean, flat fucking out. Coda to the whole subgenre.

HORRIBLES PARADE, Gary War: this thing continues to fascinate me. It’s melted music. Seriously. Like someone went at a wax master with a blowtorch and then struck the record with it. A gorgeous gurgling gargoyle of a thing. Partially dissolved rock.

FLORINE, Julianna Barwick: astonishing vocal music, multitracked and layered and processed until it became the sound that the trails of collapsing photons passing through the feathers of angels’ wings in a particle accelerator should make. Or something.

BROADCAST AND THE FOCUS GROUP INVESTIGATE WITCH CULTS OF THE RADIO AGE, Broadcast And The Focus Group: the title should tell you all you need to know. You’re either the sort of person who wants to own an album by that title, or you’re not. It is, as Moon Wiring Club would say, in the finest tradition of confusing English electronic music. It’s less a "proper" album than a collection of sounds that surround a certain set of timebound notions about Strangeness. As the title implies, it sometimes seems more like research (in the form of original music). It is really bloody good, yes.

MONOLITHS AND DIMENSIONS, Sunn O))): the more I listen to this immense album, the more I think of it as four movements transitioning from the pagan to the organised church through an apocalyptic collapse into some awful, barren post-civilisational doomspace that fades to become a weirdly sylvan, almost innocent place. Of course, that could just be me. Never discount the possibility that I am a mad old man and completely full of shit. Anyway, yes, it all sounds a bit prog, but they pull it off as far as I’m concerned.

BROMST, Dan Deacon: perhaps not as gleefully mental as SPIDERMAN OF THE RINGS, but still a greatly entertaining record and a working-playlist staple for me over the summer. Very beautiful in places, and, I think, curiously revelatory of his conservatory background. It’s a record you can just spazz around to that also rewards a close listening, just to hear how he really builds that stuff.

"Skeletons," Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Off the album IT’S BLITZ. Honestly, much of the album left me cold. "Skeletons," though, approaches the heights of "Maps" (and if you don’t like "Maps," then you’re dead inside). Love as a long winter march.

"Dog Days Are Over," Florence And The Machine: similarly, I thought LUNGS was a weak album, and I suspect "Dog Days" will prove to be their One Great Song. (I have a half-arsed theory that 95% of bands have One Great Song in them, and I can prove this using an abacus, Manhattan Love Suicides’ "Veronica," and my right fist.) This one is the one: brilliant structure, some beautifully written lines, she sings like she knows what she’s talking about (which I didn’t get from "Kiss With A Fist, oddly), and she opens up her pipes and blows the door off.

SYMBIOSIS, Demdike Stare: this was a marvellous thing. World Hauntology, if you like: Middle Eastern musics, lo-fi drone and the hideous Arctic menace of Scando exorcists like Elegi, all whacked together with stark rhythmic instinct and crazed machine intelligence. I get the impression this record went way under the radar this year, and it really shouldn’t have.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206108#Comment_2061082009-11-29T15:00:24-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00infomancerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5161
Here's the new records (non-metal) that I listened to the most this year:
Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall
Placebo - Battle For The Sun
Propaghandhi - Supporting ...
Here's the new records (non-metal) that I listened to the most this year:

Nothing too surprising; and it's all established artists. I didn't find all that much truly new stuff this year, and what I did find didn't really take up much listening time. I am so far from hip I can't even see the shining lights anymore.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206114#Comment_2061142009-11-29T15:12:33-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00icelandbobhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5250
@Infomancer
Good call on Kylesa. the opening track "Scapegoat" is such a lovely pleasure to hear...
Good call on Kylesa. the opening track "Scapegoat" is such a lovely pleasure to hear...]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206127#Comment_2061272009-11-29T16:00:13-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Audley Strangehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4475
It's been a good year for albums, for me anyway. I've got to admit that I find these kind of things increasingly though not totally irrelevant now since most of the music I listen to that is new to ...
Merriweather Post Pavillion. Personally I've always found Animal Collective one of those bands who if they stopped fucking around and trying to be avante garde would have been great. They managed it this year, with a brilliantly inventive pop album.

Fever Ray. I was surprised by this too, I wasn't much a fan of The Knife as far as I'm concerned Fever Ray manages to be haunting atmospheric creepy cheesy and funny all at the same time.

Veckatimest. I'd never heard of Grizzly Bear, I'm really glad I have now. I've heard people say it's a bit limp, but I don't think so.

Crack the Skye. Since most Metal seems more and more to be degenerating into the muzak of game and comic stores, it's good that Mastodon have somehow flogged the dead horse resurrected it and rode it bareback through a wall of tedium.

Air. Love 2. It's Air being Air, you either like it or you don't, I do.

Embryonic. The Flaming Lips I always thought were more popular than they deserved to be. Their influences are too apparent and their songs often too derivative of them. Nothings changed much on Embryonic except this time I found it much more enjoyable than most of the rest of their stuff.

Arctic Monkeys. Humbug. I could have done without the overt QOTSA vibe but another fine album.

Biggest Disappointment of the year. Octahedron. I love the Mars Volta, but this album is aptly named since it's by the numbers. Nothing new, inventive challenging or exciting on it. It's like a greatest hits from an alternative dimension.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206135#Comment_2061352009-11-29T17:10:01-06:002009-11-29T17:10:47-06:00William Georgehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7366
The only music this year that made me want to pay the over-inflated CD price of it was Them Crooked Vultures.
I think them putting the whole album on YouTube was a smart idea.
Them Crooked Vultures.

I think them putting the whole album on YouTube was a smart idea.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206158#Comment_2061582009-11-29T21:52:56-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Brandon Seiferthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=333
The new one from The Builders and the Butchers was quite good.
Loved Federale's sophomore album. (They do soundtracks to Spaghetti Westerns that don't exist.)
Weezer: The 8-Bit Album was ...
The Builders and the Butchers was quite good.

Damn. Is that it? I'm going through the playlists on my iPod and that's all I'm really seeing.

Really disappointed by the new Mike Doughty.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206161#Comment_2061612009-11-29T22:21:17-06:002009-11-29T22:21:35-06:00Ethan Edehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7656
Off the top of my head, Probably more to come:
Between the Buried and Me- The Great Misdirect- Every time I listen to this album I find something new inside, and I don't think that will stop ...
Between the Buried and Me- The Great Misdirect- Every time I listen to this album I find something new inside, and I don't think that will stop anytime soon. This release is layered and layered. Adult complementary death metal at its best.

Themselves- The Free Houdi LP - Really more of a mixtape, bit ridiculously good. The best work that Doseone has done and that is saying a lot because Dose is fucking amazing.

Narrows- New Distances- I gave this album a hard look because I wanted to be sure it is great on its own merits, not just because it is Dave V's new band. It is great on its own merits.

Gallows- Grey Britain- When Gallows release Orchestra of Wolves, several reviewers called it the best punk album since Refused released The Shape of Punk to Come; I wouldn't go nearly that far but it was a decent album. Grey Britain, their second album, is a great listen (though , still no Shape of Punk to Come) leaving behind the problems on their first release.

Isis - Wavering Radiant- After the misstep that was The Absence of Truth (I almost typed The Absence of Tool, but that would be the exact opposite of the album and the root of all its problems) Isis recovered with Wavering Radiant, this is a colossal album, it looms above you when you listen. I was very pleased.

Biggest Disappointment of the year: Converge-Axe to Fall. Way to make the same album three times in a row now Converge. This band needs to stop claiming to be the most innovative band in hardcore, because they have been sleeping behind their success for a long time now. I am an old, old Converge fan, but their best album came out in 1998 and I am getting seriously sick of the same recycled sounds and ideas. Even the song titles offer nothing new, this band is stuck in a rut and it is very sad.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206166#Comment_2061662009-11-29T22:53:37-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00brittanicahttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2296
May have to edit this later, but I think this pretty much covers my favorites:
Ideamen- May You Live in Interesting Times: I'm pretty sure this is my number one of the year. Stellar harmonies, ...
Ideamen- May You Live in Interesting Times: I'm pretty sure this is my number one of the year. Stellar harmonies, great songwriting (including lyrics that evoke the same magical "exploring another world" feeling that my #1 of 2007, Tub Ring's The Great Filter, did), and just... it's just good.

Super 8-Bit Brothers- Brawl: Because Tub Ring didn't release an album this year. Seriously, though, there is some solid music here for a side project that focuses solely on video games. They wrote a song about Katamari Damacy. This pleases me.

a Secret Policeman's Ball- Picking Up Things You Can't Even See: Local group that I can't speak anymore highly of. Really poppy, really fun, and they have one of the few female lead singers I can actually dig. Plus, they have song titles like, "Super Big Panther Cats" and "Whaa... You Got Machine Gun?!" But the songs themselves are good! (Available as a free download here.)

Elvis Costello- Secret, Profane and Sugarcane- I almost forgot about this one. I'm kinda disappointed in myself. I was really pleased w/ this one, way more so than Momofuku. I believe this to be his one really successful attempt at "Southern" music.

Allofher Twitch- s/t EP: I'd be a bad merch girl if I didn't mention this. I really do like it, and I think I'd like it even if I wasn't dating the guy who made it. I am a great fan of his lyrics, and the music manages to balance his pop and industrial sensibilities well. (It's available for free/pay-what-you-want here)]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206178#Comment_2061782009-11-30T00:36:20-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00MagicSword!http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1309
Damn you Ethan Ede, I still haven't got hold of the freeHOUDINI mixtape, and your lauding of it makes my cheeks sting with shame. I did pick up their crownsdown album last month though, and it grew ...
freeHOUDINI mixtape, and your lauding of it makes my cheeks sting with shame. I did pick up their crownsdown album last month though, and it grew on me thick and fast like algae. That's one of my favourites from this year, I'll think about some more.

I'd... hesitantly disagree with you on the Converge though. Hesistantly because I'm by no means an old fan, nor a big hardcore listener, but I do really like Axe To Fall - much more than No Heroes, which initially impressed me, but didn't stick around.

And someone else literally grabbed me by my (non-existent) lapels and told me that I had to buy the Gallows album because it was "so much better than their first record, which actually, was shit." So I'll definitely pick that up too.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206181#Comment_2061812009-11-30T00:57:41-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00helloMullerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=560
I think 2009 was another good year of music for me, as in that I bought a lot of it — and for some reason I pretty much stayed within the electronic music (mostly dubstep and wonky oriented) ...
Neil Landstrumm: Bambaataa Eats His BreakfastBibio: Ambivalence AvenueHarmonic 313: When Machines Exceed Human IntelligenceHudson Mohawke: ButterHyperdub: 5Nosaj Thing: DriftMartyn: Great LenghtsAkira Kiteshi: Pinball / Noglitch Moderat: ModeratTim Exile: Listening TreeRustie: Bad ScienceJamie Vex'd: In System Travel EPChase and Status: More Than A LotMistabishi: DropFukkk Offf: Love Me Hate Me Kiss Me Kill Me]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206196#Comment_2061962009-11-30T03:56:56-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Mercer Finnhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5496
@ Audley Strange: Grizzly Bear are limp?? That's crazy...
While I did enjoy the Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors Brooklin pop explosion, the album I kept coming back to was Two ...
limp?? That's crazy...

While I did enjoy the Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors Brooklin pop explosion, the album I kept coming back to was Two Suns by Bat For Lashes. Apparently, it grew out of the same scene, and it shares some of its hippyish earnest idealism. Yes, some of the lyrics are a bit too arch. And the rip-offs are pretty blatent. But nothing made me feel quite so much as this.

Agree with Warren that Bromst makes perfect working music. Fills you with happy vibes. The summer was dominated by Camera Obscura, as it should be. Autumn was taken up with St. Vincent's new release, Actor, which gets better with every listen. Pretty great year, all in all...]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206204#Comment_2062042009-11-30T04:47:17-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00texturehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1472
I've got a late mention to add. I've long been a fan of Edinburgh hip-hop's unsung heroes Eaters but their latest offering, Shouting at the Wind, is an absolute masterpiece. A passionate, raw and ...
Eaters but their latest offering, Shouting at the Wind, is an absolute masterpiece. A passionate, raw and unflinching hip-hop album that dissects the highs and lows of being a band committed to doing hip-hop properly, who have nonetheless been largely overlooked or misunderstood by the press and public.

Regional hip-hop (I hate the term) never gets a fair crack of the whip - it is routinely ignored in favour of US acts, London acts and indie bands. Yet listening to Shouting at the Wind, I get feelings of tremendous pride, and also of a growing potential within my local scene. These are the writers I look up to, the product of David Lynch, Grant Morrison and Run DMC. I urge you to abandon your preconceptions about Scottish hip-hop, and give this album a chance (it's £5). There were some amazing hip-hop albums this year by the likes of Anti-Pop, Thavius Beck, Juice Aleem... but none of them are as moving, as honest, or as sonically satisfying as this is. After more than a decade in the wilderness, I believe Eaters are becoming a truly important British band, regardless of genre. I've never heard a hip-hop track before that put a lump in my throat, that moved me emotionally... that alone makes this album a phenomenal achievement.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206205#Comment_2062052009-11-30T04:58:00-06:002009-11-30T04:58:15-06:00Dan Kellyhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=3084
Discovered Mumford and Sons by accident during the year. In London at least their gigs are impossible to get tickets to, however the record is a bit disappointing unless you can poke it through a ...
Mumford and Sons by accident during the year. In London at least their gigs are impossible to get tickets to, however the record is a bit disappointing unless you can poke it through a good bass setup.

Really enjoyed the first album by Lord Cut Glass ex of the Delgados

Quite a folksy year for me :)]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206328#Comment_2063282009-11-30T20:46:03-06:002009-11-30T20:46:28-06:00SteadyUPhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5302
I really liked Regina Spektor's Far. Of course, I really like most of her stuff.
@Brandon:
Weezer: The 8-Bit Album was pretty awesome.
...bless you for making me aware of that.
@Brandon:

Weezer: The 8-Bit Album was pretty awesome.

...bless you for making me aware of that.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206346#Comment_2063462009-11-30T23:13:03-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Audley Strangehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4475
@ Mercer Finn.
Yeah, I don't know why people think that but it's a comment I've heard a few times from people about it. I'm guessing some reviewer in some "scene" rag or site said as ...
Yeah, I don't know why people think that but it's a comment I've heard a few times from people about it. I'm guessing some reviewer in some "scene" rag or site said as much and they've just picked up on it without listening. In fact I'm making Veckatimest my album of the year, just over the others.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206365#Comment_2063652009-12-01T02:23:08-06:002009-12-03T05:29:10-06:00mybrainhurtshttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1584
The best:
Bomb the Music Industry! - Scrambles - Desperate punk/ska/acoustic/electronic/whatever singalong anthems. Too many of these songs seem to be written about me.
The Gateway District - Some ...
Bomb the Music Industry! - Scrambles - Desperate punk/ska/acoustic/electronic/whatever singalong anthems. Too many of these songs seem to be written about me.The Gateway District - Some Days You Get the Thunder - Ex-Soviettes but better than the Soviettes. Scratchy singalong pop-punk with a country tinge.Dear Landlord - Dream Homes - Pure pop-punk perfection.Used Kids - Yeah, No - The Jam, The Exploding Hearts, The Replacements, Chuck Berry and Bruce Springsteen all mashed together in a crazy smorgasbord of sweet rock and roll tunes.

The best of the rest:American Steel - Dear Friends and Gentle HeartsCobra Skulls - American RubiconThe Thermals - Now We Can See The Marked Men - GhostsLucero - 1372 Overton ParkRingers - Hurry Up and WaitThe Bronx - Mariachi El BronxAndrew Jackson Jihad - Can't Maintain

Albums that came out this year that I haven't had a chance to listen to but I'm sure will rule: Delay - Plain Language, Fleshies - Brown Flag]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206374#Comment_2063742009-12-01T03:50:45-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00AlexGBYMRhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4233
This was quite a good year for me.
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love.
Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport.
The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come/Moon Colony Bloodbath (with John ...
The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love.Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport.The Mountain Goats - The Life of the World to Come/Moon Colony Bloodbath (with John Vanderslice).Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another.Part Chimp - Thriller (Possibly one of the greatest musical moments of my life was watching the launch party for this album).VA - 5: 5 Years of Hyperdub.That Fucking Tank - Tankology.Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights.HEALTH - Get Color.Frank Tuner - Poetry of the Deed.

@Texture, thanks for the heads up about Eaters. I'm liking it a lot.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206376#Comment_2063762009-12-01T03:52:26-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00texturehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1472
@ AlexGBYMR My pleasure sir. I just had to share the awesome with that one. Been listening to nothing else for days now.
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206385#Comment_2063852009-12-01T05:27:07-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00allanahttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4019
most of this year has been about hit tracks i play on repeat. the really good albums have two or more.
Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself: "Stay Away From Being Maybe" and then ...
Telefon Tel Aviv - Immolate Yourself: "Stay Away From Being Maybe" and then "You Are The Worst Thing In the World"The Field - Yesterday and Today: "Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime", and then the title track and the opener were pretty good, but nothing compared to that track.Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship: "Penumbra" - no srsly it's a minute and a half long and i listened to it on repeat for over an hour.SND: the whole friggin' thing.Stimming - Reflections: "Silver Surfer" and then the whole friggin' thing.Micachu - Jewellery: "Just in Case" and then "Turn Me Well" and then "Curly Teeth"Balmorhea: whole friggin' thing.Zu - Carboniferous: "Ostia"Shogun Kunitoki: wft.Dan Deacon - Bromst: "Woof Woof" caught my attention mostBlack Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us: not the wft, but i can't remember offhand. good times, though.

i have not listened to the new Lightning Bolt or Mercury Program enough to comment, but they're good. and i spent a lot of time listening to 2008 albums, for which i could compile a much more comprehensive list than i did at the beginning of this year. i didn't get down with the lo-fi garage-rock thing this year. Times New Viking sucked last year, and Wavves and Wild Beasts and etc couldn't infuse it with a spark. ambient did okay - the Rameses III album is alright, as is Torngat, Espers, Area C, and the Robin Guthrie EPs i've heard so far. everything Peter Broderick touched (two self-monikered, the Dakota Suite, the Balmorhea) is gold-ish. and i'm slowly working my way through Tune-Yards and Ducktails. i will conquer them, dammit.and now, to find that Part Chimp album!]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206398#Comment_2063982009-12-01T07:50:59-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00DMir.Andahttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=345
Fire on Fire - The Orchard
Michael J. Sheehy and the Hired Mourners - With these Hands (the rise and fall of Francis Delaney)
A Storm of Light - Forgive Us our Trespasses
Trisomie 21 - Black ...
Michael J. Sheehy and the Hired Mourners - With these Hands (the rise and fall of Francis Delaney)A Storm of Light - Forgive Us our TrespassesTrisomie 21 - Black LabelPiano Magic - Ovations (It sounds and feels like Dead Can Dance, and the guy from Dead Can Dance sings on it too, but I guess I missed that kind of sound)Sieben - As They Should SoundAlela Diane - To Be Still, and Alela & AlinaJames Blackshaw - The Glass Bead GameVuk - The PlainsDoomriders - Darkness Comes Alive]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206399#Comment_2063992009-12-01T08:02:31-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00sneak046http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4574
2009 has been a bit of a fallow year for me musically - hip-hop died (in my eyes) a few years ago and other than 70's funk/soul that's about all I listen to..
That being said, I am loving the Kid ...
That being said, I am loving the Kid Koala/Wolfmother rhythm section collabo - The Slew: 100%. Basically KK and Diomond D recorded a bunch of Rock guitar riffs, drums and horns, made them all nice and dirty by using old-school recording tricks like oil-can delay, spring reverb, tape delay and so on, and then cut them onto vinyl where they could cut/pasted/transformed and juggled into new tracks...

Fierce and chunky are two words I've seen used to describe the resultant sound, some of the tracks are a bit like being beaten around the head..Straight up my alley.

"And then I hit this tremendous, god-awful power-chord on my guitar"]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206458#Comment_2064582009-12-01T12:24:41-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Ethan Edehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7656
A few others I forgot to mention
Felt- Felt 3 (A Tribute to Rosie Perez) - Slug and Murs together are always great, and usually, in my opinion, better than they are solo. This time Aesop Rock ...
Felt- Felt 3 (A Tribute to Rosie Perez) - Slug and Murs together are always great, and usually, in my opinion, better than they are solo. This time Aesop Rock produced the entire album, and it really shows- his production is so different from 9th Wonder or Ant's. Check it out.

The Hope Consipiracy- True Nihilist EP- Only a three song EP of matieral from their upcoming release, but god damn if I haven't listened to those three songs more than almost anything from this year. Hope Con are the best band in hardcore at the moment and this release makes me salivate for the full lenth.

MF DOOM- Born Like This- Doom is always solid, but this release suffers from the same thing all of albums do- his attitude toward homosexuals. I want to like this album so much more than I do but one song on it always leaves a sour taste in my mouth. That bullshit gay-bashing is one of the things that keeps me away from main-stream hip-hop I can do without it in the indy shit I listen to.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206462#Comment_2064622009-12-01T12:29:17-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00AlexGBYMRhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4233
@Ethan Ede.
Shit, I forgot about The Hope Con. And I agree about the new DOOM album, Batty Boyz is the main reason I don't dig the thing as much as anything else he's done. I just don't get it.
Shit, I forgot about The Hope Con. And I agree about the new DOOM album, Batty Boyz is the main reason I don't dig the thing as much as anything else he's done. I just don't get it.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206618#Comment_2066182009-12-02T12:09:05-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00texturehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1472
@sneak046: Re: hip-hop dying... it's like dead X-Men, they always come back. The popular hip-hop of the last few years has been godawful though, agreed. Also, I've got an interview with Kid Koala ...
[threadjacking over]]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206622#Comment_2066222009-12-02T12:28:08-06:002009-12-02T12:34:02-06:00joe.distorthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1173
HATRED SURGE-black box 7" (easily their best material!)
DEAR LANDLORD-dream homes lp (drink.sing along.grow a beard. amazing pop punk)
FAILURES-s/t 7" (four minutes of insane japanese ...
DEAR LANDLORD-dream homes lp (drink.sing along.grow a beard. amazing pop punk)FAILURES-s/t 7" (four minutes of insane japanese influenced hardcore filtered through will killingsworths pedals, spewing out of mark mccoys mouth)CONVERGE-axe to fall 12" (their best record since JANE DOE, hands down. opening track is a fucking blender to the face)RINGERS-hurry up and wait 12" ep (jangly poppy awesomeness. too bad its only seven songs)HATRED SURGE-deconstruct 12" (i will list whatever i want. this band kills.)LAWRENCE ARMS-buttsweat and tears 7" (2 of these 4 songs are among the best theyve EVER released. so sad, so lonely, so cheerful, so hopeful. "this high life is running at full steam, comon everyone and live the high life with me" not recommended for sXe folk: booze consumption is almost mandatory)IRON LUNG/PIG HEART TRANSPLANT/WALLS collab live 12" ( i still havent fully processed this, but holy god is it great. its opressive and a chore to listen to in the best way possible)RUN WITH THE HUNTED-destory all calendars 12" one sided ep (better than every other metallic modern hardcore band i heard/saw this year. gorgeous record, too)

honorable mention: the a-side of PROPAGANDHIs supporting caste album. (i think the b side loses a lot of steam.), also the new GET DESTROYED 7", burnt offering. it hasnt hit distros yet but i have heard the songs live multiple times and this fucker is gonna SMOKE the needle off your turntable.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206637#Comment_2066372009-12-02T13:15:19-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00j.c.sacketthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2932
I just did a quick run through and realized my most played newly downloaded songs all come from previous years. I'm not sure what that says about me or 2009.
Big music for me for this year (not ...
Big music for me for this year (not released this year) was Amanda Palmer's Who Killed Amanda Palmer and Murder By Death's Red of Tooth and Claw.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206638#Comment_2066382009-12-02T13:15:26-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Steven Thomashttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=462
In no particular order other than alphabetical-by-artist:
FRANKENCOTTAGE, Dark Mean
LP, Discovery
DUSTLAND, Gentleman Losers
ONE FAST MOVE OR I'M GONE, Jay Farrar and Benjamin ...
FRANKENCOTTAGE, Dark Mean

LP, Discovery

DUSTLAND, Gentleman Losers

ONE FAST MOVE OR I'M GONE, Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard

BLOOD FROM STARS, Joe Henry

INFINITE LIGHT, Lightning Dust

MIDDLE CYCLONE, Neko Case

CLANGOUR, Sin Fang Bous

ACTOR, St. Vincent

SUN DOGS, The Veils]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206758#Comment_2067582009-12-02T20:49:38-06:002009-12-02T20:51:48-06:00Brandon Seiferthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=333
@SteadyUP No problem. I feel like the 8 Bit Album is something every Weezer fan worth their geek cred should hear. :-)
I also have to add Polka Dot Dot Dot's second album to my list. I'm ...
I also have to add Polka Dot Dot Dot's second album to my list. I'm listening to it right now, and it's completely blowing me away. Their first album was lovely and strange, and this is a step up ever from that. Just fucking breathtakingly gorgeous. Goddamn. I don't know if I've ever had a song almost make me cry simply for being pretty, but "You're On The Phone" i doing that right now.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206774#Comment_2067742009-12-02T21:55:53-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00allanahttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4019
@Brandon Cyphered, have you heard Jordan o'Jordan solo? he's extremely entertaining live, and Carbon Cycles is excellent songwriting even though the recording isn't great.
Carbon Cycles is excellent songwriting even though the recording isn't great.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206815#Comment_2068152009-12-03T02:07:15-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Cameron C.http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4226
uhhh, I dont know. I liked Andrew Bird's NOBLE BEAST. And Porcupine Tree's THE INCIDENT... and Bike For Three's album MORE HEART THAN BRAINS... Mastodon's CRACK THE SKY was pretty awesome, ...

But really, for me, I think Tori Amos' ABNORMALLY ATTRACTED TO SIN is pretty much my favorite and I've only been listening to it for a few days. God damn beautiful.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=206951#Comment_2069512009-12-03T15:23:26-06:002009-12-03T15:25:21-06:00sneak046http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4574
@texture
re my comments about hip-hop being dead, and to address your point about regional artists being slept on by the mainstream, I feel I should just add a shout out to my hometown heroes, ...
re my comments about hip-hop being dead, and to address your point about regional artists being slept on by the mainstream, I feel I should just add a shout out to my hometown heroes, Peterborough's finest hip-hop/dubstep outfit Thirteenth Note Productions. They have a free mixtape "The Food Chain" that I highly recommend, or you can stream some of their stuff here (disclaimer - I've known producer/dj/mc/ Chat One for over 15 years so I'm a little biased..)]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207053#Comment_2070532009-12-04T04:00:10-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00texturehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1472
@sneak046: Thanks, will check them out - if they're up for doing an interview or something, drop me a line.
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207243#Comment_2072432009-12-04T19:55:24-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00MagicSword!http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1309
Stuff I really liked:
Themselves - CrownsDown
Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring
Converge - Axe To Fall
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Charlotte Hatherley - New Worlds
Jay Z - The Blueprint ...
Themselves - CrownsDownChuck Prophet - Let Freedom RingConverge - Axe To FallThe Flaming Lips - EmbryonicCharlotte Hatherley - New WorldsJay Z - The Blueprint 3OneOne - AooooonFuture of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another

Stuff that I loved in one way or another, but didn't completely blow me away:

Stuff that was really kind of bad, but which I liked in a guilty way anyway:

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: The End of DayTeriyaki Boyz - Serious Japanese

I just picked up the St. Vincent and Gallows albums too and they seem awesome, but I haven't really spent enough time with them yet. And I think I got the Fucked Up Singles Collection this year too - but I don't think that counts as a release from 2009 really. Makes a great album though. And this year also saw the start of Ash's A-Z project which I think is a fantastic idea, and everything so far has been great.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207259#Comment_2072592009-12-04T22:28:07-06:002009-12-16T20:14:48-06:00allanahttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4019
two things i totally forgot existed until today:
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca: thee first four tracks are solid; the rest, less so.
and Gregor Samsa - Over Air: this one needs tons more attention. ...
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca: thee first four tracks are solid; the rest, less so.and Gregor Samsa - Over Air: this one needs tons more attention. they're absolutely brilliant.

(edited 'cause i continually confuse "Over Air" with "Rest," which is the studio version of many of the same tracks, from last year.)]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207452#Comment_2074522009-12-05T23:21:23-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00manikmoonhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2997
The stuff that's floated my boat this year, and sod it half the time I don't know if it's this years or last century's but:
The XX, Sun O))), I.A.M.X., The Horrors, Rome, Dernière Volonté, Camp ...
The XX, Sun O))), I.A.M.X., The Horrors, Rome, Dernière Volonté, Camp Z, Zola Jesus, Txarly Usher, Those Poor Bastards and Aluk Todolo.....]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207475#Comment_2074752009-12-06T02:02:11-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00howyadoinhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1675
For now I'm just gonna point to Blakroc and Mastodon, but I'll be back with more later.
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207573#Comment_2075732009-12-06T16:57:21-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00MisplacedMindhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7794
My favorites of the year:
#1: Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
Every time they've put out a new album, I begin listening to it convinced that it couldn't possibly be superior to the one before. ...
#1: Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer Every time they've put out a new album, I begin listening to it convinced that it couldn't possibly be superior to the one before. It always is.

Dinosaur Jr's Farm managed to live up to my expectations, but sadly did not exceed them. I like it, but do not love it. Same goes for the Flaming Lips' Embryonic, although I want to give it more of a chance before I make my final decision about it. In searching through Wikipedia to see what I may have missed, I find myself highly embarrassed not to have known about the New York Dolls album that came out in May. I know what's being catapulted to the top of *my* Christmas wish list...]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207576#Comment_2075762009-12-06T17:29:12-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00AtomicSlothhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=390
Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another.
Future of the Left - Travels With Myself and Another.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207578#Comment_2075782009-12-06T17:36:03-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00dorkmuffinhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6719
Yesssss, AtomicSloth. Agreed.
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207580#Comment_2075802009-12-06T18:19:56-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Brandon Seiferthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=333
@allana — Jordan O'Jordan's actually a friend of mine. I love his solo stuff, and was totally excited when he teamed up with Onyx of Olympia for this project... and then they completely blew me ...
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207583#Comment_2075832009-12-06T18:39:00-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Jason Michelitchhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=920
I'm always so slow to pick up on new music, despite all my best efforts. I'm sure I'll be listening to everything you people are talking about come March. So much stuff I haven't gotten around to ...
So far BROMST is the best thing I've heard this year. It basically hits all the points it felt like Merriweather Post Pavillion was trying to hit, and failing. Especially "Snookered," that's easily the song of the decade for me.

N.A.S.A.'s THE SPIRIT OF APOLLO is, I think, genetically tailored to earn my love. David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift of Gab, M.I.A., Tom Waits, Kool Keith...I feel like I'm 16 and hearing Handsome Boy Modeling School for the first time all over again.

Speaking of Chali 2na, he finally dropped a solo album (FISH OUTTA WATER). As a friend of mine said, it's a bit of an unreal experience: he's done so much collaborative and guest-spot work that you keep waiting for him to finish his section and for someone not as good to start up...but it never happens. My favorite MC.

Picked up the Broadcast and the Focus Group album based on both Warren's recommendation and my own past love of Broadcast and weird noises. Was in no way disappointed. Doesn't seem like the kind of album you would pick songs from, but I'm very fond of "oh you chatterbox".

Just discovered Yonlu, a 16-year-old Brazilian bedroom-recorder who apparently killed himself after releasing his debut album. The song "A Boy and A Tiger" is kind of amazing, harsh tape hiss and animal sounds cut up with snippets of unfinished melodic tunes all centered lyrically around a tiger, a cage, a boy, and a girl. The album is named A SOCIETY IN WHICH NO TEAR IS SHED IS INCONCEIVABLY MEDIOCRE, and I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of it.

THE MOUNTAIN by The Heartless Bastards is a real straight-ahead rocker (with a slight twang) that my girlfriend has been mainlining all year, and it's good enough that I haven't minded hearing it over and over again. Reminiscent of some of Concrete Blonde, if that helps anyone.

WHAT IS?! by King Khan and the Shrines finally got released stateside, even though that's not really a 2009 album for me. Great listen, though. Calls back to garage and psych without ever being bogged down in recreation or nostalgia.

"Bonkers" by Dizzee Rascal -- the radio edit, the longer single edit goes on far too long. It's clearly a song meant to be under three minutes.

New Neko Case was good enough, but I haven't really listened to it that much. And I liked what I heard of the new Animal Collective EP but I need to hear it again...]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207592#Comment_2075922009-12-06T20:33:51-06:002009-12-06T20:39:43-06:00JoshHechingerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2787
Ida Maria - Fortress 'Round My Heart - Well, 2008 in the UK, but '09 in the US. Which is where I am.
So.
I saw her live, right before the album dropped in the US. She dressed like a crazy cat ...
Ida Maria - Fortress 'Round My Heart - Well, 2008 in the UK, but '09 in the US. Which is where I am.

So.

I saw her live, right before the album dropped in the US. She dressed like a crazy cat lady and blasted the fucking doors off the place. The album itself is a drunk Norwegian rocker girl on a snowy street, laughing and cursing shakily as she trips on shit that someone sober and boring would not.

(And "I Like You so Much Better When You're Naked" is one of the best song titles ever (but it's the line "I like ME so much better when you're naked" in it that makes me smile.)

Company of Thieves - Ordinary Riches

I came for the Rushmore-inspired video for their first single, I stayed for the indie-noir-holy-shit-the-pipes-on-that-singer-would-you-listen-to-that wonderfulness of the album. At its best, it sounds like something that'd be the hot band at the high school from Brick.

The Danger Os - Massively Intimidating Episodes EP

Full disclosure, a friend of mine did the album art. But still, a really strong six tracks from my favorite local band. The standout being the album closer "So It Goes", which builds with quiet, rhythmic menace, coming together into something that sounds like an alien invasion on the quiet in a small surf town.

Side note: seconding what Brandon said on page 1, re: The Weezer 8-Bit album. That thing was a lot of fun.

EDIT: Need to check out the new Luke Haines. Achtung Mutha? Never change, Luke.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207628#Comment_2076282009-12-07T04:07:30-06:002009-12-07T04:19:04-06:00apefisthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6596
In what seemed to be a slim pickings year for music, these were my top picks, even though some would not even qualify in a decent year for music. If a release had 2 or more songs I liked, it's on ...
No particular order within each subgroup:

REALLY LIKED:Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us Mastodon - Crack the Skye (not that it was THAT great, but I'm a big fan of the band)The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha (cool)Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light YearsArch Enemy - The Root of All Evil (cookie monster metal chick vocalist is better that nearly all her male contemporaries in that genre)Mos Def - The Ecstatic (even the tracks on which he sings and raps)Lady Gaga - Hitmixes (some badass remixes by chew fu ghetto masters and space cowboy)Eminem - RelapsePlacebo - Battle for the Sun Sonic Youth - The Eternal The Dodos - Time to DieShe Wants Revenge - Up and Down (EP)The Raveonettes - In and Out of ControlFlight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was FreakyTom Waits - Glitter and Doom

DECENT ENOUGH:50 Cent - Before I Self DestructInfected Mushroom - Legend of the Black ShawarmaAngelspit: Hideous and PerfectLacuna Coil - Shallow LifeU2 - no line on the horizon (I liked it for being sort of non-U2ish, for them, anyway...)Marilyn Manson - The High End of Low (ultimately disposable, but fun when I first got it)Muse - The ResistanceDethklok - The Dethalbum II (sorry, it makes me giggle and it rocks)Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked VulturesSnoop Dogg - Malice n WonderlandBuckethead - A Real Diamond in the RoughFlorence and the Machine - LungsThe Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at HeartThe Prodigy - Invaders Must DieKMFDM - BlitzManic Street Preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers Eels - Hombre LoboDinosaur Jr - FarmVNV Nation - Of Faith, Power and GloryDoves - Kingdom of Rust (I used to hate this band because they were an obvious Swervedriver ripoff clone band--Doves are to Swervdriver as Silversun Pickups is to Smashing Pumpkins--but they've totally changed their sound and became something better than a clone)]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207688#Comment_2076882009-12-07T10:47:56-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Jef UKhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7365
AM/UK - Rocktronic . Released in June '09.
americans-uk.com
AM/UK - Rocktronic . Released in June '09.

americans-uk.com]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207761#Comment_2077612009-12-07T15:47:37-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00SilentObjectorhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2587
Not a single mention of The Protomen Act 2? For shame, Whitechapel! The first half and last two tracks on that album are probably the best album of 2009.
Other albums that might make the ...
Other albums that might make the list:The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World TO ComeThe Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

Pretty weak year, overall.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=207950#Comment_2079502009-12-08T14:16:09-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00joe.distorthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1173
Pretty weak
ive seen a few posters that have hated this year, and a lot of music fans who found tons to love. its very odd to me. it seems to me that the more you LOOK for music, the more you find.
Pretty weak

ive seen a few posters that have hated this year, and a lot of music fans who found tons to love. its very odd to me. it seems to me that the more you LOOK for music, the more you find.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208089#Comment_2080892009-12-09T07:27:02-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Audley Strangehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4475
@ joe.distort. Yeah. This year has introduced more new and good music to me than any year since about 2005 basically because of actually listening to friends recommendations for a change. For example ...
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208122#Comment_2081222009-12-09T10:14:34-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00icelandbobhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5250
@Joe.distort
ive seen a few posters that have hated this year, and a lot of music fans who found tons to love. its very odd to me. it seems to me that the more you LOOK for music, the more you ...

ive seen a few posters that have hated this year, and a lot of music fans who found tons to love. its very odd to me. it seems to me that the more you LOOK for music, the more you find.

I would pretty much go with that comment. My music tastes took a massive heft turn this year and i found myself listening to a lot of weird drones and noises that i wouldn´t necessary have given any time for. I´ve also been properly getting re-acquainted with my metal/hardcore part of my listening brain, which i had unfairly deprived of heavy sounds over the last couple of years...]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208131#Comment_2081312009-12-09T11:04:10-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00infomancerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5161
I almost forgot the new Nothington record, Roads, Bridges and Ruins. Great sincere punk record.
Roads, Bridges and Ruins. Great sincere punk record.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208142#Comment_2081422009-12-09T12:44:19-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00EelockTheWarriorhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5253
this is the first year i've really stretched out and found new music released by folks i didn't already trust already... and i mostly found those i trusted to have let me down... [like Wilco and ...
Beirut - March of The Zapotec (can't say i was a fan of the second realpeople EP included)Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion (a band i've known for years, but never bought any of their stuff)Andrew Bird - Noble Beast (saw a Pitchfork live performance of him by himself in a church and was sold)The King Khan & BBQ Show - Invisible Girl (discovered King Khan & The Shrines first, but found anything Khan is basically amazing)Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest (another band i avoided forever, but was pulled in by this lovely record)

The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (thank Fuck did not let me down. in fact, it rejuvenated my insane love for them that manifested itself ten years ago)

the rest of my year has been spent listening to tonnes of old Sun Ra (i bought 10 records this year), Moondog, Beefheart, Serge Gainsbourg and Nigerian Blues and Funk.

i've still not heard the new Tom Waits, but he's basically infallible, and it's live, so it has to be good.and, of course, The Beatles re-masters are tasty and as good as their music has always been. they're just louder now.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208232#Comment_2082322009-12-10T01:35:59-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00apefisthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6596
To ST Wanger:
Was that Mars Volta CD really that good? I can't decide whether I like them or not. I've liked songs by them in the past but they are so hit and miss with me.
Was that Mars Volta CD really that good? I can't decide whether I like them or not. I've liked songs by them in the past but they are so hit and miss with me.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208266#Comment_2082662009-12-10T07:09:09-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00joe.distorthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1173
i dont think its anywhere near as good as BEDLAM IN GOLIATH...just my opinion though
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208268#Comment_2082682009-12-10T07:17:47-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00St.Wangerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2792
@apefist: It is their "Pop album", most of the material being very "calm", to say so, without the hectic Wankery-Mayhem of the one before (which I totally love). It is a very good ...
Actually prefer the madness that Bedlam in Goliath is, too @joe.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208695#Comment_2086952009-12-12T15:06:17-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00David Matthewhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2886
Woo, this account is still active! I had wondered if Ariana trimmed off the comatose ones after a while...
Veckatimest -- Grizzly Bear
Yesterday and Today -- The Field
Florine -- Julianna ...
Veckatimest -- Grizzly BearYesterday and Today -- The FieldFlorine -- Julianna BarwickFist of God -- MSTRKRFTBitte Orca -- Dirty ProjectorsPotato Hole -- Booker T. JonesMan of Aran --British Sea PowerMerriweather Post Pavilion -- Animal CollectiveTarot Sport -- Fuck ButtonsActor -- St. Vincent

Not all that much overlap here, hmm. Either my tastes are just different, or I wasn't paying attention to the same stuff you guys were. (I'll force you to click through to the new group-blog I'm a part of to read the reasoning behind these picks. Muhahaha!)]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208778#Comment_2087782009-12-13T08:19:48-06:002009-12-13T19:52:07-06:00Paul Sizerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=44
Reporting in from Techno-Central, here's my fave albums of the last 12 months. Spent a large amount of time going through old mixtapes form high school this summer, so my taste for electropop was ...
Telefon Tel Aviv: Immolate YourselfLush, dreamy dense electronic soundscapes that you have to swim through, with the great reward of massively gorgeous album, bittered only by the reminder that it's the last.

Towa Tei: Big FunA truly international eclectic record, Tei remembers his days of happy trippy house from the early 90's, but is utterly fearless when looking for new sounds and singers in his records. "Big Fun" has no two tracks the same, and that in itself is an achievement.

Junior Boys: Begone Dull CareHouse music that doesn't see that tag as a limitation. Smart, focused music and the same for the outside singers that they bring in to sing on them. Delivered the epic, pulsing Ewan Pearson house remix of "Hazel", which blew me out the door hearing it in New York this spring for the first time.

Me Succeeds: RiemerlingLo-fi nu-synthpop, full of pleading boy and girl vocals, tweaked drum samples and analog instruments all pushing for the front, but still smart enough to leave some empty space in the mix. Dump your Owl City album and find this for a better version of the same thing.

Ms. Kitten and The Hacker: TwoNice, hard electropop, Ms. Kitten giving her dry, chilly vocal stylings over Hacker's better and better synth bleeps and boops. The solo work of both of these people has been great, but something about them together eclipses and improves the other's strengths.

Tiga: Ciao!2009 was a year for artists to admit their synthpop roots in full strength, and Tiga did his best to make an album full of that love, wearing it fully on his sleeve. He also remembered that good pop sticks with you in the shower the next morning, so kudos for him for not slacking on the hooks.

Flight of the Conchords: I Told You I Was FreakyThe show is over; bowing out at the top of one's game is a bold and brave move. Luckily Bret and Jemaine didn't slow down on the songwriting, and remembered to be funny and tuneful. A fitting soundtrack to two guys who love all music, and are talented enough to fit it all through the filter of their comedy.

Moby: Wait for Me"Last Night" was a mixed bag; full of homage to a slew of styles, some more successful than others. Like Prince, when Moby goes home, sends all his buddies away and just pounds on stuff in the studio is when we get tightly focused, thematically and musically solid albums. "Wait For Me" would have come out under one of his aliases in the past, but for my money, it's his best album since "Play".

POLYFUSE: No One Will Come To Save UsFirst industrial album I've heard in a long time, which means it's not rave-industrial/metal industrial/heavy rock with a drum machine bullshit, but rather a band that treats it's instruments like machines, and lets that sound make it to the final mix. Pure in a way that I haven't heard since Wax Trax was shitting out 12" singles as fast as they could in the late 80's.

I liked the Greymachine album as well, but really need to be in the right mood for that.

Probably my favourite thing of the year has to be Jesu - Opiate Sun]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208853#Comment_2088532009-12-13T18:24:44-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00John Q.http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6145
Hey Apefist,
Great to see Electric Six get the mention, i fuckin love those guys, but Kill is by far their weakest album. Haven't had a chance to listen to it a lot yet, but it hasn't struck me. ...
Great to see Electric Six get the mention, i fuckin love those guys, but Kill is by far their weakest album. Haven't had a chance to listen to it a lot yet, but it hasn't struck me. Saw them live in Dublin last week though (my 8th time), awesome as ever.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208859#Comment_2088592009-12-13T19:21:52-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00MagicSword!http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1309
@ Sizer - I'm glad you put Towa Tei down, I (foolishly) haven't picked up his album, but I saw him play earlier this year and he was tremendous. I've been randomly listening to some of his ...
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208866#Comment_2088662009-12-13T19:59:12-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00allanahttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4019
@Rob Diston, that Tyondai Braxton album is a far, far cry from History that has no effect. but it does brighten up a bit on the second half. otherwise, your list is pretty solid.
@Paul Sizer, i ...
History that has no effect. but it does brighten up a bit on the second half. otherwise, your list is pretty solid.

@Paul Sizer, i won't ever be able to take Junior Boys seriously again. a boy told me that "What It's Like" is about me. everyone should know that that shit never works.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208891#Comment_2088912009-12-13T22:49:10-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Rob Distonhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=994
@allana, I've not heard that, but I'll try and track it down.
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208939#Comment_2089392009-12-14T07:41:59-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Paul Sizerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=44
@MagicSword!: Yes, Towa is a genius. If you put him and Yoko Kanno in a studio together, the world would explode.
@Allana: Don't let some dork with a bad pick up line spoil you hearing this really ...
@Allana: Don't let some dork with a bad pick up line spoil you hearing this really excellent album!JUNIOR BOYS: HAZEL (EWAN PEARSON DISCO MIX)]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208963#Comment_2089632009-12-14T09:46:07-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00texturehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1472
@Sizer - I really, really like Junior Boys. Great songwriting.
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=208972#Comment_2089722009-12-14T10:53:01-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00St.Wangerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2792
Like the ZU album, too. But I became tired of Mike Patton guest starring on every second Ipecac release with his typical "yiiiaaarrrgh ulululu" kind of stuff. Started to be "the same ...
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=209093#Comment_2090932009-12-15T04:12:24-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00sneak046http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4574
Just got through listening to 'Dark Night of the Soul' by DJ Dangermouse and Sparklehorse, and guests (including David Lynch...)
Available for streaming here
...since emi banned it's release - ...
Available for streaming here

...since emi banned it's release - due to 'legal issues', DM has instead released a CD case with the album art, containing a blank CD-R..]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=209465#Comment_2094652009-12-17T15:15:31-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00hmobiushttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=785
I really tried to get a full ten top tunes for 2009 but stopped short at nine.
I had more disappointments than pleasant finds this year - that's what you get for trying to immerse yourself in a ...
I had more disappointments than pleasant finds this year - that's what you get for trying to immerse yourself in a different genre without a guiding hand. So here we go by best order to listen to them, rather than rank

? (Question) – Mark PritchardA cold, hard, unfeeling opening, like waking up on a black marble floor and being approached by a silicon snake

Drumming Song – Florence and The MachineLungs is the perfect name for the album from the bat-caped Florence Welch and while others prefer Dog Days, I'm swayed by her pins in the vid. It's soon to be cheesy chart pop - I only need shallow reasons to like it

Soap on a Rope – ChickenfootDaftest band name ever. Best part-time supergroup. A great cut of summer time arena rock.

Alice! Live at the Natural History Museum – The Life Force TrioFirst track on the Echo Expansion compilation. A little harp from Alice Coltrane (yes, a relation) and a little dub underneath. Solid on its own and a good opener for an album worth picking up.

Sacrifice – Clint MansellI love Clint's soundtracks and could have picked pretty much anything from his Moon soundtrack, but this 3:30 piece encapsulates most of the themes across the record. Loneliness, despair, tinges of desperation, determination. All in a simple piano lead with a punch from the orchestra here and there. Magical

Otacon – ResoEven though Reso's only putting this masterpiece of evil, grimey electronica out as part of an actual EP at the start of 2010, I heard Otacon first in February I think. It is by far and away my favourite single track this year. A vast slick of music that envelopes and then throws you about in its whirlpools and eddies until reaching the eye of its storm you're given respite before further infiltration of the senses leaves you awed and bewildered at the end of its six minutes.

Losing Streak – JesuOpening track from this year's Opiate Sun EP. We stand, we fall, we contemplate inwardly, we realise that Losing Streak is the aural accompaniment to becoming lost our daydreams.

Axe To Fall – ConvergeAxe to Fall is pure insane, whiplash fury. A welcome return to form then for the Bostonians.

The Last Baron - MastodonIt has taken me ages to grok Mastodon. Metal press loved them when they released Leviathan a few years ago and Blood Mountain got similarly goo-stained reviews after that. But their crossover prog-metal never really rang true until they released Crack The Skye this year. It is, incidentally, my album of the year. Finally they don't sound like they're trying to force motifs into their music which impress on us the concept of the album: something that jarred a lot for me with Moby Dick-themed Leviathan. Instead, there's just them and bravo for it. The Last Baron is the final track on the album, a 13 minute tale winding its way through shifting sands of legend.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=209486#Comment_2094862009-12-17T18:55:04-06:002009-12-17T18:56:18-06:00sacredchaohttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1501
Considering I bought like a jillion CD's this year, I'm pretty sure only a couple were actually put out this year.
Mastodon - Crack the Skye
Everyone else wrote about it already. Nothing more ...
Mastodon - Crack the Skye Everyone else wrote about it already. Nothing more for me to say, though I only bought it like a week ago.

NOFX - Coaster Pretty decent. Not great, but pretty decent.

Coalesce - OxPretty cool, very loud and intense. I actually meant to buy the new Keelhaul, but got confused. Oh well.

Baroness - Blue RecordFucking awesome. Jake Leg is one of the coolest songs ever, as far as I can tell.

Heard the new Propagandhi album, which was okay - much better than Potemkin City Limits anyway. Also heard Rancid's Let the Dominoes Fall. That was one of the worst albums I've ever heard from any band ever.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=209598#Comment_2095982009-12-18T10:59:29-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00celanhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5337
General comment(s): I don't know if it's possible anymore for there to be a "weak" year...since music is less of a mono-culture than once it seemed to be. Only obstacles as I see it are ...
Regarding pop music: I have to say that Lady Gaga is a truly impressive mainstream artist and deserves to be "famous" or whatever...the Black-Eyed Peas however deserve to be put in a box and dropped into the Marianas Trench. Their stuff sounds like it is just waiting to be turned into a beer/car/whatever commercial. Utterly vapid. I know, I need to lay off the haterade.

Other than reiterating the aforementioned (Converge, Baroness, Mastodon, Isis, Tortoise, etc.)and since I am huge Zorn/Masada fan, I have to mention these -- Masada Quintet : Stolas: The Book of Angels Volume 12 and Zorn's O'o and Alhambra Love Songs. Great stuff.]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=209793#Comment_2097932009-12-19T19:43:40-06:002009-12-21T10:10:56-06:00MarshallQuicksandhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=5306
Oceans Will Rise - The Stills.
For one song, really (which is the first track in a while that I've actually gone out of my way to purchase).
Oceans Will Rise - The Stills.

For one song, really (which is the first track in a while that I've actually gone out of my way to purchase).]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210194#Comment_2101942009-12-23T01:04:45-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Chuckleshttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=7556
innerpartysystem have really impressed me with their innovatively-titled album innerpartysystem. It's hard to classify, but it basically boils down to the same sort of ...
innerpartysystem have really impressed me with their innovatively-titled album innerpartysystem. It's hard to classify, but it basically boils down to the same sort of rock-with-electric-bits-bolted-on as Bloc Party have been messing around with for Intimacy, but it's a fair sight angrier, and less heavy on the guitars. I love the album, but in particular I love the remixes based on it. Don't Stop especially is one of those songs that has 300 people scratching their head and saying "it's okay, but imagine how badass it would sound when I fuck with it", and they did, and it was good. It's not very sophisticated music, but it's good fun to flail your limbs to]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210224#Comment_2102242009-12-23T08:03:50-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00SigridEllishttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=3305
My favorites of 2009 got too long, so here it is --
http://sigridellis.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/my-2009-in-music/
http://sigridellis.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/my-2009-in-music/]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210280#Comment_2102802009-12-23T14:48:30-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Bisonkillshttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1786
I've probably forgotten a few things, but these all stand out as great records released this year. Plus, I’m sick to the teeth of reading piss weak ‘best of the decade’ album lists that suggest ...
1. Six Organs of Admittance - Luminous night2. Silver Bullets - Free radicals3. Eagle Twin - The unkindness of crows4. Holy Sons - Criminal’s return5. Oneothrix Point Never - Zones without people6. James Blackshaw - The glass bead game7. Emeralds - S/T8. Eleh / Nana June - Observations and momentum9. Current 93 – Aleph at hallucinatory mountain10. Sunn O))) – Monoliths and Dimensions]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210661#Comment_2106612009-12-27T08:32:33-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00apefisthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6596
These lists have been great. When I used to DJ I was much more on top of indie releases and bands, but I've not kept up with them for the last 3 years or so. These lists help me "cheat" by ...
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210664#Comment_2106642009-12-27T09:00:06-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00nigredohttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2373
I'm sure I'm forgetting some but here goes:
Diminished Men - Shadow Instrumentals
Emeralds - What Happened
Oneohtrix Poitn Never - Rifts
Yoga - Megafauna
Moritz von Oswald Trio - ...
Diminished Men - Shadow Instrumentals

Emeralds - What Happened

Oneohtrix Poitn Never - Rifts

Yoga - Megafauna

Moritz von Oswald Trio - Vertical Ascent

Air - Love 2

Pyramids with Nadja - s/t

Jacaszek - Pentral

Aavikko - Novo Atlantis

Supersilent - 9

Ben Frost - By the Throat

Orthodox - Sentencia

Klimek - Movies is Magic

Black To Comm - Alphabet 1968

Demdike Stare - Symbiosis

Fuck Buttons - Tarot Sport

Eagle Twin - The Unkindness of Crows

Natural Snow Buildings - Shadow Kingdom

Om - God is Good

Black Devil Disco Club - The Strange New World Of Bernard Fevre

Doomriders - Darkness Come Alive

Asa-Chang & Junray - Kage No Nai Hito

Broadcast & The Focus Group - Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age

Jasper TX & Anduin - The Bending Of Light

Sunn 0))) - Monoliths and Dimensions

Alamaailman Vasarat - Huuro Kolkko

Sir Richard Bishop - The Freak of Araby

Nadja - When I See the Sun Always Shines on TV

Secret Chiefs 3: Traditionalists - Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210875#Comment_2108752009-12-29T12:33:52-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Mild Maynyrdhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1167
]]>
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210904#Comment_2109042009-12-29T22:56:08-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00Angela Hunthttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=195
You guys are the only reason I hear any new music at all anymore. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210950#Comment_2109502009-12-30T10:59:33-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00St.Wangerhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2792
Recently discovered liking the current COBALT Album "Gin" Very much. It draws influences from Hemingway and Hunter S. Thonpson and is musically rooted in Black Metal, but it's something ...
2009 Music Retrospectivehttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=7291&Focus=210977#Comment_2109772009-12-30T15:51:01-06:002015-08-02T19:27:48-05:00ian hollowayhttp://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6961
I've just posted the new issue of my Wonderful Wooden Reasons zine here & here an apart from the reviews of new albums it also features a comprehensive set of Top Ten Releases of 2009 by myself ...
here & here an apart from the reviews of new albums it also features a comprehensive set of Top Ten Releases of 2009 by myself and a host of others including...